Trampa Review:
I have been coveting a Trampa board ever since I saw the SKD guys (Abe, basically) in a video where they were riding Trampa. At the time, I was
spending a lot of time on the killer british forums at kitecrowd.com, and almost everyone there rides Trampa, too. Then, snap to the US and everyone
rides MBS. I like the MBS boards. They're fine. But I LOVE the Trampa board. It's like the difference between an xbox360 and a PS3. They pretty
much do the same thing, but one is a toy and the other is a precision piece of entertainment kit. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Unboxing:
My box arrived via Parcel Force 3 days (THREE DAYS!!!) after I ordered it. It still smelled like the motherland when I opened it. It was bulging to
the seams with packing material, foam, bubble wrap and all sorts of other goodies to protect my stuff. Anyone who has ever worked in a shipping
department knows that if you get a box that is bulging with packing materials, it's been done right. Anyway, after opening the box, I pull out the
gear to have my first first-hand look at the goods.
Contents:
The box contains the following:
1x carbon board 35˚ short
4x assembled and aired-up tyres (still shiny and pretty)
2x Trampa 15" hollow axle skate trucks
2x Velcro "Binding" Straps
8x ABEC 5 Bearings
1x Bag of assorted bolts, spacers, washers and nuts
AT LEAST ONE SET OF EXTRA BOLTS, NUTS AND WASHERS!!!
2 Spare innertubes
a few Trampa stickers
Logos
Everything… and I mean EVERYTHING has the Trampa logo on it. Even the bearings have the Trampa logo on 'em. Thank goodness that the Trampa logo is a
simple, understated, attractive logo. It's the polar opposite of something like the Monster energy drink logo, so it a) scales well and b) makes
things look cool. Plus, I like having the logo on everything because it gives a nod to the fact that this is a CUSTOM board. It's like having a
tailored shirt. Someone else may have one like mine, but if they do it's a complete coincidence.
Quality
Anyway, everything is shiny, new and precise. From the bolts to the tyres, everything I unpack makes me just a little bit happier. However, the
proof is always in the pudding (so to speak), so I begin "pudding" it together (
). I enjoy putting things together and there is always a wide range of quality when you're assembling someone else's design. My biggest fear with
ordering a Trampa from overseas is that things wouldn't *quite* match up and I'd be forced to take a drill to my beloved brand new board. It turns
out I didn't have to worry at all. Everything was precision machined to a very fine tolerance. The bearings popped in the wheels like they were born
there, and the trucks went through the wheel hole like a … arm… well… they went in really smooth and fit snugly. Putting this board together was an
absolute joy and just reinforced my decision to hold out for a Trampa, instead of going with one of the lesser boards.
Bindings:
The velcro bindings have incredibly nice-looking angled aluminum brackets. I honestly just sort of stared at them a while when I first unpacked them
because they were so pretty. The bindings have a wide strap with 3 velcro strips with the one in the middle having both the fuzzy and grabby velcro
on either side. This is the same system Peter Lynn uses on their arcs to keep the spars in place through massive abuse. Oh, and I like the velcro
system because it's ridiculously light.
Tyres:
The tyres are solid, shiny and light. As I said, they famed aired up and ready to assemble. The rubber does NOT feel soft, and has some pretty
serious tread on it. I opted for 8" black tyres on black wheels because I'm a ninja. I believe there are 3 choices of wheels, but I opted for the
Hypa, which is a 5 spoke composite wheel. It looks like it can take some abuse and it's very light.
The Deck:
I cannot say enough good things about the deck. I got the 35˚ short deck, and it is a beauty. Looking down the side, it just seems as if it
were made in a Lotus factory. Everything lines up beautifully and nothing looks out of place. The holes were drilled exactly where they need to be
with no extra wiggle room for bolts, and the board doesn't warp one way or the other at all. There is a ton of springy camber (this one is 14 ply, if
I remember correctly) and it would be a LITTLE springy for my 175 lbs. if Trampa hadn't drilled the holes a little more closely to the crease for me.
As it is, it's got the perfect amount of flex. It should allow me to drop from a few feet without killing myself from a jarring impact, but still be
stable enough at speed. I asked Trampa to drill the holes for me, and they drilled 4x2 (trucks) and 2x4 (bindings). I didn't opt for a handle
although the more I think about it, the more I wish I had, if for no other reason than to carry the thing. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the bolts
perfectly matched the countersunk, predrilled holes. That's some nice work.
Trucks:
These are simple, straightforward, bomb-proof trucks. They come with all the appropriate hardware and everything fits ilke a glove. I crank down on
the tyres/ wheels and they spin fantastically even after putting a hefty amount of torque on the nut. I think they're the lightest Trampa makes at
10mm hollow axle, but I'm not 100% on that. They're light. We'll see if I can break them, but I doubt it. Personally, I did NOT opt for the
titanium kingpin. I'm interested to see if I regret that decision.
So obviously, everything smacks of quality, and this is the very "lowest end" board they make… well, kinda. They don't really MAKE a low end board.
There is no Atom 90 or Core 86.5 or anything. It's just… well… boards (and the stuff that goes on them). Trampa does one thing -- they make
kite/land boards. I'd argue that they have it down to a bloody science. I'll post more when I get a chance to ride it this weekend.
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:D
